Aston Martin has owned the Lagonda nameplate since the late '40s, but in the roughly 70 years since that acquisition, the use of the name has been kept largely exclusive for four-door models. The two most famous modern Lagondas are the angular, futuristic sedan built in the '70s and '80s and the infamously ugly SUV concept from the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. UK magazine Car claims that the classic name could make its return on a svelte four-door as soon as this summer, which makes sense considering our spy shooters recently caught what looked like a modernized incarnation of the 70s super saloon last month.

Interestingly, while Aston Martins are rare birds as-is, Car says that the neo-Lagonda could be even more scarce – its sources suggest that the model could be limited to under 100 units. That's because Aston Martin's Q customization service is reportedly taking up construction duties for the project, and with its small team, that means production is going to be slow, limited and very expensive.

Even covered in camo as spied above, there's something special about the new car. The squinting headlights and thin A-pillar echo the '80s model in a modern way and make this four-door look a lot sportier than the Bentley, Maserati and Rolls-Royce models that it will likely compete against. It's rumored to be using composite body panels to keep weight down.

The powertrain is said to be an evolution of the Rapide, Aston's sole existing four-door model. The Lagonda would use Aston Martin's 5.9-liter V12 with power tuned to around 600 horsepower, backed by an eight-speed automatic replacing the Rapide's elderly six-speed unit. That would put power just short of an Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG, but the composite panels could lend it a weight advantage.

The latest rumor only indicates the Lagonda's unveiling sometime later this summer, with no exact date or location. Still given the relative completeness of the test car, it doesn't look like it could be too far away. We can't wait to see it when the camo comes off.

Aston Martin Information

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That C pillar is atrocious. Please stop using retro styling cues that just don't work cohesively with the rest of the design and may in fact be hindering Astons future ambitions by producing a less than attractive "retro" model that will be forgotten rather than taking a chance on a bolder modern design that infuses a fresh perspective that adds to their future DNA.

Another site...auto spies dot com...has the uncamouflaged pics (dont worry, autoblog will post them in a couple of days)....and this thing is BUTT ugly. no wonder aston has stuck with the same designs for all their other cars for the past 10 years...they cant design anything good anymore. theyre only building 100 of them cause thats about as many as theyre gonna sell by looks of this atrocity.

Aston & Jag are essentially rivals in today's market. They didn't used to step on each other's toes so much. Aston built the sports cars and Jag built the luxury cars, but now we've got Lagondas that look like XJRs and F-Types that look like DB9s. It's a good deal if you like Jags (which I do), because they're about half the price (which doesn't mean they're cheap, mind you. Just $100k+ compared to $200k+). But Aston still builds the bigger engines. Granted, Jag's supercharged V8s are pretty impressive (they produce a mountain of torque), but it's tough to compete against a 600+ bhp, 5.9L V12. That's Lambo territory.

Why not make 1000 cars?
You would sell everyone and you need the income to build a new platform for your cars.
fewer than 100 seems foolish and arrogant. Too exclusive for AM could put them out of business.
If you can't build enough, find a partner to build it for you!